The sign outside the current Bothell City Hall says, “It’s Your City Hall!” On a recent day, several passersby stopped and perused the information on the colorful board, which informed readers of workshops inviting community members to give their input on the design of the new city-hall and city-center-campus.
Nearly 60 residents attended the March and April meetings, according to Bothell Public Information Officer Joy Johnston. Along with members from the city staff and developer Vulcan Real Estate and The Miller Hull Partnership architectural firm, residents have discussed guiding principles and the draft site plan, which the design team developed from the citizens’ input.
The area could include an upper and lower civic plaza, a community meeting hall and council chambers, a colonnade and rain garden and a civic garden.
Citizens asked for community spaces to hold large and small gatherings for participants of all ages, some covered outdoor spaces to protect people from the rain, a well-lit civic garden that’s safe at night and more.
From 6-7:30 p.m. May 25, the final meeting will cover art and architecture at the Bothell Municipal Court, 10116 N.E. 183rd St.
“I think that it’s good that they’re having a lot of public input on this. I think that’s what we need for big projects like this,” said Rep. Derek Stanford (D-1st Legislative District), a Bothell resident. “We need to have community involvement to make sure that people’s positions are heard and that we’re going to have something that’s going to last. As a resident and as an official, (I feel) we’ve got to plan for the future.”
In February, Bothell City Council approved an $850,000 agreement with Seattle’s Vulcan Real Estate to develop a 60,000-square-foot municipal complex along with what could be up to 100,000 square feet of adjacent mixed retail, commercial and office space.
Construction could begin at the end of 2011 on the block of 101st Avenue Northeast (bordered by northeast 183rd and 185th streets) and finish up in June 2013, according to the city’s Web site.
“Overall, it’s been very positive. People have really engaged, and there have been so many good ideas that have come out of the meetings,” said Johnston, who noted that people shared in a round of applause after the last meeting. “You’re not necessarily going to clap if you don’t feel good about something you’ve accomplished. That was a good sign.”
Johnston added that ideas have been so plentiful that a few residents have reminded those in the room that the city can’t afford to bring every “dream” to fruition.
Bothell resident Pat Pierce, who attended the first two meetings, noted that while all the citizens involved were glad to give input, not everyone agreed with every feature of the draft plan that was presented.
For instance, residents at one table said to nix one of the proposed retail buildings and open up the plaza more, Pierce added. Attendees also questioned the proposed location of the new city hall.
Overall, Bothell hopes to leverage about $150 million in public investment into possibly $650 million in private investment in its downtown and in the surrounding area.
The city’s downtown revitalization plan will include two major roadway improvements on State Route 522 to create new city-owned parcels, which the city will offer for sale to be redeveloped with a focus on mixed-use retail. McMenamins will also transform the old Anderson School Building on State Route 527 into a hotel, restaurant, pub, spa, pool, community garden and theater. For more details, visit www.futureofbothell.com.
“Bothell is really kind of an oasis of economic activity right now — we’re a great beacon for the rest of the state, showing what can happen when you get some good development going on,” Stanford said. “A lot of planning went into this, they lined up all the investments that they needed to make this happen and now they’re seeing the dividends of that. It’s really paying off in terms of getting this economic activity going, even during this big recession.”
